1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method of building a residential structure and, more particularly, to a residential structure having insulated concrete forms (hereinafter referred to as “ICF”) that are used in forming the walls, which walls are attached to a concrete slab and to a roof.
2. Background of the Prior Art
As this country was being settled, early pioneers built homes from whatever was available. In the areas having a lot of trees, the homes were normally made out of logs. In other areas that were rocky, homes were made out of rock. As the plains area of the country was settled, homes were made out of sod. In arid regions, homes were made out of stucco or were even dug into the sides of hills or cliffs.
As time passed and this country was settled, the building of residential structures evolved to the use of wood frames. Sometimes precut stone or brick would also be used, but normally in conjunction with a wood framing. One of the problems with a wood framed house, with or without stone, is that it was expensive to heat in the winter and hard to cool in the summer. As the cost of energy has continued to rise, this has been a continuing concern for the homeowners and, hence, a concern for the home builders.
About forty to fifty years ago, a trend started to use foam for insulation purposes in residential buildings. Some times expanded foam was sprayed inside the walls or under the roofs of residential buildings to provide additional insulation. Later, panels were inserted to provide insulation. As the trend to use foam continued, insulating concrete forms (referred to as “ICF”) started to be used in residential structures. Many different types of methods have evolved for building ICF residential buildings. However, fundamental problems still revolve around the methods being used to build ICF residential structures.
The first major problem is the prior systems require a lot of labor in the shaping, cutting or modifying the foam blocks for the particular structure. A second problem is that after cutting, shaping or modifying the foam structure, the foam structure loses much of its insulating value. Third, the insulating foam does not have the structural integrity so enough concrete must be used therewith to give the strength necessary for the structure.
An example of one of the prior ICF structures can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,413 issued to Niemann which shows an insulated concrete form wall building system. A pair of elongated expanded polystyrene side walls are located adjacent to each other with vertical ribs. Concrete is poured between the vertical ribs of the respective walls to form a composite polystyrene and concrete wall structure.
Another type of ICF walls is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,189 issued to Miller, et al and has fiber reinforced concrete faces, but expanded polystyrene in the middle thereof. Vertical structure concrete ribs are located between the insulating panels to provide structural support.
While the above were only two examples of patented systems that are already in existence, there are many others showing different types of ICF structures used in commercial and residential buildings. While each has its own advantages and pit falls, the major problem is the expense involved in building the structures. If the expense is held down, normally the buildings do not have the structural integrity.